by Max Marbut
Staff Writer
Decades ago in a simpler time, the concept of a hidden camera capturing the mundane activities of unsuspecting people was a novelty fit for a half-hour of television comedy each week.
Fast forward to the 21st century and the concept of watching — and even recording — the activities of people has become part of normal life. The cameras aren’t hidden any more, and it has gotten to the point there’s very little privacy, at least in public places.
Government buildings, office buildings, retail stores and public open spaces are all under the watchful eyes of people watching closed-circuit television. Video surveillance itself has become its own industry and has also changed the security and investigation industries.
The most public of all public buildings in any community is its library. With the Main Library Downtown and 20 suburban branch libraries, thousands of people move through the Jacksonville Public Library System each day. In addition to a human security presence, video surveillance is an integral part of making libraries safe for customers and staff.
The electronic component also saves the City quite a bit of money when it comes to providing safety and security, according to Mike Sigler, security supervisor for the Jacksonville Public Libraries.
The building’s perimeter and adjacent streets, all entrances, interior spaces and elevators are under constant surveillance.
“The video system is very cost-effective,” he said. “Remote control cameras are expensive, but they are a one-time cost. Here at the Main Library, I would need 12 more security officers to cover the building if we didn’t have the video system.”
As is the case with most video security systems, there’s a good reason the cameras at the library are conspicuously installed.
“We don’t hide them because we want people to see them. The average person doesn’t care if they’re on camera because they’re not doing anything wrong,” said Sigler. “The only people who object to surveillance are people who want to do something illegal or immoral.”
Video surveillance combined with recording can be a deterrent as well as a tool to prosecute a crime. Video surveillance can alert law enforcement when a crime takes place and create visual evidence of a crime. But, said Sigler, “You still have to have law enforcement — boots on the ground — to respond. There’s no prosecution without apprehension.”
The technical advances and growth of video surveillance has also changed the private security industry.
“We’ve seen the integration of technology and human effort,” said Earle Ginn, vice president of First Coast Security Inc. “The days of the night watchman with the clock and key are gone. Now it’s all microchips and downloadable data.”
Ginn agreed the deterrent effect of visible video surveillance systems is one of the technology’s biggest benefits. “Nothing is going to keep a hard-core criminal from committing his crime, but seeing a camera will make people on the bubble think twice.”
The watchers are also being watched in some cases. Ginn said First Coast mounts cameras in guard houses at gated communities it serves in order to record the interaction between security personnel and residents and guests.
“We live in such a litigious society, everybody’s looking for evidence,” he said. “We use cameras and microphones to provide evidence, and there have been cases when residents have been fined by their homeowners associations for abusing guards.”
Sean Mulholland, president of Mulholland Investigation and Security Consulting, said advances in technology have made electronic surveillance easier and cheaper and he expects the trend to continue.
“The Internet has revolutionized surveillance,” said Mulholland. “With a nanny cam, a parent can monitor their kids and caretakers at home from their desk at work. People can keep an eye on their vacation home and cameras can be connected to motion detectors and fire alarms. “Theoretically, anything can be done. It just depends on the budget.”
Something all three security professionals agree on is that with increased security comes reduced privacy.
“The thought of having total privacy today is really not reasonable,” said Mulholland. “Even the paper trail has been replaced by a digital trail with employees’ access cards, credit cards, ATM cards and cell phones with GPS.”
Sigler said video surveillance has become so prevalent, the only people who don’t come in contact with it are those who never leave home.
“I’d estimate that everybody is videotaped for at least five minutes every day. It’s a fact of life,” he said.
Ginn knows as well as anyone what the technology is capable of and said, “Big Brother is out there, but I think it (surveillance) enhances my ability to have a safe lifestyle. When I’m out in a public place with my family, I feel safer when I know we’re being monitored.”